A Tunisian military judge has ordered the release of lawyer Abd Errazak Kilani – a critic of President Kais Saied – pending a trial, Mr Kilani's lawyer told Reuters on Monday.
Mr Kilani was detained this month on a charge of inciting police to break the law.
The judge did not give a reason for the decision. A trial date has not been announced.
Last summer, Mr Saied suspended parliament and seized most powers in a move his opponents described as a coup. He also changed the supreme judicial council, reinforcing his rule.
Mr Kilani’s arrest angered human rights groups at home and abroad. They accused Mr Saied of imposing a dictatorial regime and using the military and judiciary against his opponents.
Mr Saied rejected accusations and said he did not interfere in the judiciary.
On Monday, Mr Saied said in a televised address that Tunisians were free to express their views on a new political system for their country.
A referendum on constitutional changes is scheduled for July.
Mr Saied spoke after about 2,000 people protested in the capital, Tunis, on Sunday, calling for greater political rights and the return of a multiparty government.
“Work will continue to go to a referendum on July 25, after which everyone will be involved in expressing their opinions and suggestions for the new political system,” he said.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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Take your litter home with you
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- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
